


Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars

by isawrightless



Category: Batman (Comics), DCU (Comics), Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics), Red Robin (Comics)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-22
Updated: 2016-09-22
Packaged: 2018-08-16 18:05:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 412
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8112160
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/isawrightless/pseuds/isawrightless
Summary: Jason deals with Tim's 'death'.





	

a short story set in the Rebirth continuity

——–

Jason only realizes how angry he is when the punch connects and Bruce has to brace himself and firm his feet on the ground so he won’t fall over. It’s a combination of things, really, that takes him over the edge. His aching body, sleepless night and the lack of trust from his own family, but what makes him lose it are the words coming out of Bruce’s mouth.

Tim is dead.

Bruce says it like a stoic, and Jason knows it’s not lack of love or empathy-it’s remorse. It’s guilt that turns his voice robotic, guilt that makes his face freeze up, his mouth a thin line as he utters words that shouldn’t be uttered. And Jason can’t stand it, the forced professionalism whenever tragedy strikes and before he knows it, his knuckles are cracking against Bruce’s nose.

There’s silence after that, Bruce barely acknowledges the punch, stands there as if there’s nothing else to say, glad that someone had the guts to hurt him because he feels like he deserves it, Jason knows him too, knows him through every cut and burn, every dream that failed, every conversation that went unheard.

Then the anger gets to be too much, hot and heavy, throbbing in his chest and Jason says, low and rough:

“You won’t rest until you get all of us killed.”

It’s the worst thing he has ever said to Bruce, the cruelest, and although he knows that it’s not true, he doesn’t take it back. Bruce leaves without a word, turns his back on him and disappears, and maybe this time there’ll be no fixing this, but Jason doesn’t care.

Once he’s alone, he reaches for his phone, dials Tim’s number and lets it ring until the voice mail takes over. He hangs up and calls again. And again and again and again and again because maybe, just maybe, Bruce is wrong, maybe just maybe Tim will pick up, his boysish voice on the other side, greeting him in that cocky little way of his.

Summer warm Tim, dead winter Tim.

Soon he will look for Tim in places he no longer is, in songs that no longer speak to him, in empty spaces that no longer fit them both in this world.

Soon he will go out of his way to find something, anything that can make it okay.

For now, just for now, he dials Tim’s number again.


End file.
